Affinity

Sometimes you might hope for an atmospheric novel that will sweep you into its pages. Now I must remind myself, be careful what you wish for. This story is filled with seances, toxic fogs, stuffy drawing rooms, human misery, and hundreds of pages of freezing cold, damp, smelly, prison cells. Is it atmospheric? Yes. Is any of it an atmosphere where you want to linger? No. This book tells an odd story in an odd way. The chapters skip back and forth over a few years in the 1870’s in London. We hear the story of Selina, the clairvoyant, during her heyday running seances mainly at the home of her patroness in London. And then we hear the story of Margaret, a wealthy young woman suffering from a lost forbidden love, grief at her father’s death, and her dread of a hopeless, loveless future in the repressed society. It is hinted that Margaret is being watched carefully after a failed suicide attempt. Besides dosing her with opiates, her treatment is to “do good” by being a lady visitor at the woman’s prison. Not a great idea. Margaret’s story is told in her first-person journal entries. The stories of Margaret and Selina overlap because Selina is in prison after the death of her patroness following a séance gone wrong. The best part of this story is the ending-partly because you are thankful that the book is finally over and partly because it is in the clever ending that a plot is revealed and tied up. The writing is good although the reader remains distant from the characters. The tone and feel are very dark and oppressive. The pacing borders on glacial. The book is 370 pages that reads like 500 pages- not a good thing. It becomes repetitive in establishing the prison conditions and the background material. This was a book group selection for my group. In one sense it was successful, because the selection got me to read some thing that I otherwise would not have chosen. But this book did not touch my heart, enlighten me about human nature, or provide insight into an unknown aspect of the world.

Sarah Waters is a technical excellent writer, and in this book, as in her others, her command of language, mood, setting, etc. are superb. She also did extensive research about Millbank, the 19th century English prison where this story is set. Unfortunately for the reader, Ms. Waters was so in love with her research that she was determined to include every last bit of it in this book, at the expense of the narrative and tension. We gets little bits and pieces of the story, and then pages and pages describing in painstaking detail facts that have nothing whatsoever to do with the story and do not advance the plot — for example, detailed expositions of the process for bringing in new prisoners, and of the infirmary, and of the procedure for visitors, and of the kitchen, and even what the inmates wore, every layer down to the skin. The reader quite loses track of the story line in between these many digressions. Had I been interested in reading Bout the British prison system, this information would have been fascinating, but in a piece of fiction it dilutes the story considerably.

Sarah Waters never allows us to become attached to her protagonists. I find that very different to read since I usually like to project myself in their stead. But it makes you like a detective. Looking over their shoulder struggling to see the truth that the author is keeping from us both. I read this book during my lunch breaks, waiting in line…simply to pass the time. I never wanted to leave it, but I never wanted to pick up if I had more fanciful things to do. It is a slow burn that way and strangely binding, but the final hour of reading brings satisfaction. ALL IN ALL WHAT THE HECK SARAH WATERS WHY YOU DO THIS TO ME. I DON\’T REALLY LIKE IT BUT I KEEP COMING BACK FOR MORE??

I don\’t want to say too much about this book because I don\’t want to take anything away from the experience of reading it. It touched me in ways no other book really has. I think about it often. It\’s gut wrenching and honest and beautifully written from the first word to the last. A true masterpiece. Read it.

I plowed my way through this very sad and morose novel. I had read Sarah\’s novels, The Paying Guests and Fingersmith, and loved them both. But this one just didn\’t grab me. Possibly because the main character was portrayed as such a weak person. Her letters/writings were whiney and repetitive- I just didn\’t know how many of those I could read. Of course the ending was no surprise. I apologize for giving a terrific writer a bad review. Just so depressing!

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